Camp-stool.



CAMP STOOL.

APPLICATION FILED APR.24,1913.

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D. M. NEFF.

CAMP STOOL. APPLICATION FILED APR. 24, 1913.

Patented Mar. 30,- 15515.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DOUGLAS M. NEFF,

CAMP-STOOL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 30, 1915.

Application filed Apr12A, 1913. Serial No. 763,274.

T0 all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, DOUGLAS M. NEFF, subject of Canada, residing at East Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and u seful Improvements in Camp-Stools, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to camp stools of the type adapted to be folded and carried in a coat pocket, all substantially as shown and described and particularly pointed out 1n the claims. u

ln the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is ay plan view of the stool open, and Fig. 2 is a side elevation open as in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an end elevation and open as in Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. et is a plan view on line lv-4, Fig. 2. Fig. 5 on line 5 5, Fig. el. Sheet 2, Fig. 6, is an edge view of the stool folded and Fig.. 7 is a side view, folded. Fig. S is a sectional view on a line corresponding to 8--8, Fig. 7, lookingto the right. Fig. 9 is a sectional detail in perspective of a portion of the seat and the end support thereof. Fig. 10 is a perspective view enlarged, of the hinge member at the middle of the stool for the folding supports as hereinafter fully described. Fig. l1 is a cross section of Fig. 10 on line 11, and Fig. 12 is a longitudinal section on line l2, Fig. 10.

As indicated in the title, the invention consists in a stool which is so constructed as to be compactly folded to be carried in a coat pocket, if desired, and which has ample strength to support any one who may desire to use it. T o these ends the stool consists of a frame having two similar seat supporting members a.. and two so-called leg or base members b and an intermediate 'part or member c on which the members a and b are pivotally connected. Incident to these are theside links 2 which connect the parts a and o and the bottom link 3 connecting the bottoms of the legs or leg members b. canvas or like liexible seat s connects the tops of the two supporting members a.. These are the parts of the stool in general terms. and said parts are so constructed and related that they may be unfolded as in Figs. l, 2 and or folded as in Figs. (3, 7 and S. Specifically. the said parts (L and l) are built of suitably heavy wire or rods nearly or Quite as thick as an ordinary lead pencil, and the said parts a are bent at the is an enlarged cross sectionmiddle to form straight cross portions m for the seat s and have their ends bent inward at right angles toward each other and conlined in the loops or hinge portions 1 of the said member c. ln this connection it is to be especially observed that the side portions of both members a and l) taper inward somewhat from the cross portions mand n at their middle to or toward the hinge or pivot member c, so that both said members c and l) are noticeably narrower as they approach the pivot c than at their middle, and the taper of the two parts a and b is uniform, one with the other. However, the said taper does not start from the immediate cross portion m of the seat but some distance below the same, and the narrowing occurs from this point to about the same distance from lthe hinge member c, so that the portions of said sides c and o near the seat and the pivot member 0 are parallel. 0f course this is a detail of construction which is not emphasized as important in its particulars but yet it is important that the structure as a whole should be narrowed relatively as shown at 0 compared with the greater width at seat s to enable the stool to be placed in av coat pocket. lt is to be further observed, also, that while the outlines of parts aand Z) correspond in these details, the part l; is enough narrower than the part (t to fold bodily within the same as seen in Figs. 6 and 7 The said hinge or pivot part c is preferably constructed from two similar sheets of metal into shape seen in Figs. l0 and l1, and the leg or base supports I) are pivoted in the ears or loops 5 in the top of said part while the seat supports a are pivoted in the loops or ears 4 at the bottom thereof. 3y thus hinging the leg supports on the inside of part c and shortening the s'ame so that the cross portion fn, will swing within the cross portion m, the said supports can be folded within the sides and top of seat support a, as shown anddescribed. The said part c furthermore has a middle flat portion or webbing 7 of double thickness u provided at opposite ends with wings 8 and 9 respectively, bent or lapped back fiat' from one side firmly against the opposite side as seen in Figs. l0 and 12 and thus binding the said plates firmly together. This Unities the two plates and makes them as one in working effect and value. The said wings 8 and 9 also are of such vwidth that they iill the space between the loops or rolls 4 and 5 andV ,thus serve as reinforcing portions be.

t\feeii'tlie said loops respectively.

.in additional feature of construction material especially in the use of the stool is due/tilting of the stool when occupied and A lightness of the stool.

gives a much better poise than would be possible if the said pivots were allowed. The

depth of the webbing T could of course be increased and this would bring-the'pivot loops l still lower down and the balancing advantage would be correspondingly enhanced by that much but the present construction serves the purpose and makes for The leg members swing from within out- -ward and downward, and the connections 2 between the same and the seat-supports a are of such lengthas to be stretched substantially tautwhen the stool is unfolded. Then as weightcomes on the stool the said connect-ions resist tipping sidewise ofthe seat portionof the stool under the weight, Fig. 2. ,e

lhe difference in the lengths of the seat and leg members from their pivots is accommodated in the connections L2 `by a link 10 in each connection, and the said connections are made preferably of strips of iiat spring metal engaged with the parts a and at their middle, as seenin Fig. 3. The bottom cross portion n'of. the leg members bV is, therefore, bent upward at its middle a slight distance -to receive the said link andthe ends of the bottom connection 3, as seen in Fig. at. yIn this instance the connection 3 .also is of sheet metal, and a hook L is provided where the two parts meet and adapted-to engage in any one of the plurality of slots Ain the other part. When the weight is on .the seat the` `tendency of course is .for the legs to spread,

and connection 3 prevents suoli action.Y

The seat s is, preferably, of a good grade of woven canvas. but it may be of any equivalent material, such as carpet or leather or the like. be flexible so as to fold out of the way, and it is securedto the cross portions vm ofthe members a by wrapping the canvas once around said portions and overlapping the ends relatively as seen in Fig. 9. This done, I fasten said ends by means of tin or sheet metal clips 12, which are wrapped about said .wrapped ends of the seat and have the otherwise free end of the seat on top confined between the top and the infold- V edend ofthe said clip as shown in Fig. 9.

This avoids rivets or the like and affords a comparatively smooth connection of the seat It should in any event4 with its supports and has no objectionable edges or angles tolinjurev clothing.

lt is'material and important that the cenlateral stay between them'where the weight lcenters and an unstablestructure would result; The said member is constructedto conform to the difference in width of the respective parts a and b at their pivots, and

the loops V5 are therefore shorter than t-he loops el, asshown in Figs. 7 and l0.

- The rest or weight comes on the bottom substantially straight portions n of the legr members, and these are made as wide as can be and yet fold within the sides of the seat supports a.

` Itwill be noticed'that the respective members a and b cross each other in substantially 'X form at the pivot center c as seen in side elevation when the stool is open,-Fig. 2.

Practically the legs or leg members Z1 and pivot member c constitute the stool base,and the seat members hang or aregsuspended at Y their lower ends by their pivotal engage.-

ment in the lower and otherwisefree portion ,ofl said pivot member c.

fact a vslight rocking movement or'tilting afforded by this reason and which has been found agreeable tothe user but the swingy is limited, of course. Y

What I claim is:

1. Ay folding stool having seat and legv members of rigid wire and of substantially rectangular shape, a hinge having, opposite loops at its top engaging .the top vcross por- -tions of said leg members and suspended therefrom between said members and paral- There Vis in ieo lel loops in 'the bottom of said hingeV projected laterally at both ends between said leg members and having the said seatmembers hinged therein.

2. A stool having separate seat and leg members of vrtgidwire and a central hinge consistingl of two: strips of sheet metal rigidly connected and provided with twol sets of loops in parallel planes lengthwise and one set relatively above the other, the

said leg members pivoted in the upper set of said loops and the said seat members crossing said leg members on the. outside and pivoted in the lower set of loops', and flexible connectionsbetweensaid members to hold the same in working relations.4

3. A foldingstool. having two seat members and two leg members madeof rigid wire and provided with' substantially parallel cross portions at both outer and inner ends and a hinge in which said members are pivoted in pairs at dierent elevations, the

and the extremities of said wire bent in- Award at right angles and constituting the hinge portion of said members respectively, in combination with a hinge on which said members are pivotally engaged in sets at different elevations and the said leg and seat members crossing each other in substantially X form at said hinge and with the seat members outside, and all said members foldably connected across the top and the bottom and ends of said stool.

In testimony whereof I aiiiX my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

DOUGLAS M. NEFF.

Witnesses E. M. FISHER, F. C. MUssUN. 

